An Hour with Brittany Murphy

She's had her share of struggles lately—a broken engagement and a family illness—but through it all, Brittany Murphy manages to stay the upbeat lovable girl. Here, she talks about her secret passion and why she refuses to give up on love.

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Cosmo: Your character in
Little Black Book is a bit
conniving. What's the sneakiest
thing you've done to a guy?

Brittany: Like I would say in Cosmo!

C: Oh, come on. You don't have
to name names.

B: The worst thing I did was look inside
a closet in an ex-boyfriend's house. I was
looking for something so I opened up
the door, and it was a closet of ex-girlfriends.
All the mementos, journals,
love letters, everything. It was like,
"Aaahhh!" I closed it immediately.

C: You didn't peek at all?

B: I didn't. I couldn't! It embarrassed
me. It was one of those awful moments
where you're going, "I can't
believe this is happening!" Unusually
enough, just about a week later, Little
Black Book came into my life.

C: What's the biggest lie you've
gotten away with?

B: I'm a really rotten liar. Generally, if
I've tried to pull off a lie, it hasn't worked
out to my advantage. My mom always
said, "Don't lie. Then you never have to
remember anything you've said."

B: I'd do almost anything for love, within
safe boundaries. I've flown to places to
surprise people, even if it was just for a
day. I think it's so important to keep the
romance alive and make sure the fun and
spontaneity are there.

C: You recently broke off your
engagement. The tabloids made
claims about why—that the
two of you had a bad trip to Paris,
that he was still in love with an
ex. Want to clear any of that up?

B: Not one bit of it had any validity, aside
from the fact that, yes, the engagement
was indeed called off.

C:How are you dealing with it?

B: After a breakup, it takes a couple
weeks for the fog to settle, but it's always
a period of self-priority and growth. Life
presents you with so many decisions. A
lot of times, they're right in front of your
face and they're really difficult, but we
must make them. Unfortunately, sometimes
relationships don't work out. It's
just the way life goes. But hopefully, you
learn from them.

C: Did you learn anything from
this experience?

B: To not beat yourself up and to trust
and follow your instincts. It's easy to get
wrapped up in sharing everyday life
with a partner. It's fun to get lost in love
and romance. It's the best. But holding
on to yourself while doing that is the
most important thing.

C: Is there anything that helps
you get through a breakup?

B: Music—either kick-ass rap, hip-hop,
or female empowerment music. The
Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is empowering.
I listen to The Eminem Show a lot
and 2Pac's Greatest Hits lately.

C: Do you believe it's possible to
stay friends with an ex?

B I'm still friends with all of my ex-boyfriends
but one. This particular breakup
is like the next phase [of the relationship]
as opposed to the end. Yes, the romantic
part is over, but there's a whole other
friendship side under development that
needs a lot of water. The most important
thing is preserving the friendship and
making it grow.

C: What do you think is the key to
a successful relationship?

B: Honesty. A close second is a sense of
humor. I don't take myself seriously.

C: What about friendship?
What's the most important
quality in a girlfriend?

B: Calling people back! I need to become
better about it. It is an awful flaw
of mine, along with lateness and disorganization.
Note to all dear friends:
I will become better!

C: You still live with your mom. Is
she your best friend?

B: I think to call us best friends is almost
an insult to our relationship.
She's the greatest in the whole wide
world, and I don't feel closer to anyone.
She's a pillar of strength, and she
doesn't flaunt it. She has this will—she
just knows she can get through things.
It's inspiring.

C: How are you coping with
her illness?

B: It's a test of strength. We pray a lot.

C: What's the most
annoying rumor you've heard
about yourself lately?

B: There have been so many rumors in
the past couple years! I'd rather not
perpetuate something that isn't true.
But no, I've never had an eating disorder.
And I don't do drugs. I have a glass
of champagne now and then. I'm generally
the person dancing at a party who
everybody always thinks is the intoxicated
one, but I'm really not.

C: You've formed a production
company, BAM. Are you branching
out into producing films?

B: Yes! It's something that really excites
me. We're producing the romantic
comedy Boyfriend in a Box, that I
plan to star in, and a secret project I
can't talk about yet. I like the idea of
being part of everything from location
scouting to casting.

C: What can you tell us about the
album you're working on?

B: It means so much to me; I'm really
protective of it. The music is turning into
its own thing—kind of jazzy hip-hop.

C: Are you writing the music and
lyrics yourself?

B: Yeah. I write a lot at night—music,
poetry, and what I call rants. Every pad
in my house has something written on
it. Generally, when I write, I rhyme,
which is why I just went "Well, why
don't I turn them into songs?"

C: Have you talked to Eminem at
all about your music?

B: No. But 8 Mile was one of the most
incredible sets to be on because he had
a recording trailer there. All the actors
got to hear "Lose Yourself" first, which
was cool. I learned so much watching
him. I'd hand him pads of paper because
I could tell when he had a thought and
needed to write it down. He's a genius.

C: What song lyric do you think
best describes you?

B An Ani DiFranco lyric: "I'm a pixie /
I'm a paper doll / I'm a cartoon / I'm a
chipper, cheerful free-for-all / And I light
up a room / I'm the color-me-happy girl
/ Miss live and let live / And when they're
out for blood / I always give."

C: That sounds dangerous!

B: Yeah, I'm a giver. I've learned to be
selective of the people in my world, because
if I love someone, I will give them
my blood, whatever they need. In doing
so, one can end up with little left for
themselves. It's a lesson in self-preservation
that I'm still learning. If you don't
have yourself, you have nothing to give.